Nicky Haire

Nicky Haire is a Lecturer in Music Therapy at Queen Margaret University’s School of Health Sciences. She is an HCPC-registered music therapist, violinist, and educator with expertise in improvisation, dementia care, and arts-based methodologies. Her work bridges clinical practice with performative and cross-cultural contexts.

• Phenomenological philosophy (Merleau-Ponty)
• Arts-based reflexivity
• Experiential learning

Research Focus

Nicky explores improvisation as a mode of relational being, with emphasis on:

• Humour in music therapy with dementia patients
• Embodied musical practices
• Creative-reflexive supervision methods
• Cross-cultural projects in post-conflict regions
• Psychoanalytic theory integration
• Performative auto-ethnography

Publications & Affiliations

Her recent works address pandemic-era collective experiences and therapeutic improvisation. She is affiliated with organizations including the British Association for Music Therapy, Institute for Music in Human and Social Development, and the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra.